Online Continuing Education Courses

• Relate the effects of cingulate cortex activation on chronic pain suppression.
• Draw and identify regions of the cingulate cortex pertinent to pain and suppression.
• Discuss basic science research that links area’s 32, 24 and 25 with pain and its relief.
• Apply specific techniques to modulate cortical areas 32, 24, and 25 for pain suppression.
• Formulate and implement a treatment plan based on the M1-ACC pain model.

• Relate the effects of failure within the DNIC to the development of chronic pain.
• Draw the pathways specific to ascending sensory and descending pain modulatory circuits.
• Apply knowledge of the DNIC, as it relates to chronic lower back pain.
• Discuss basic science research that links the PAG with the phenomena of offset analgesia and conditioned pain modulation.
• Formulate and apply treatment plans based on stimulation of the DNIC utilizing spinal cord stimulation, motor cortex activation and heterotopic noxious conditioning stimulation.

• Identify the relationship between the ANS and chronic pain.
• Explore the cause of sympathetic maintained pain.
• Discuss the emerging role of the brain and spinal cord in CRPS.
• Apply non-invasive neuromodulation techniques for pain control.
• Formulate an effective treatment plan based on current knowledge.

• Relate the effects of cold sensory deficit to chronic central pain states.
• Map the pathways specific to Lamina I versus Lamina V sensory afferents.
• Discuss basic science research that links C-Fiber subpopulations with hyper-excitability of sensory neurons.
• Apply techniques to gate pain processing through the Dorsal Insula/Anterior Cingulate pain switch.
• Utilize relationship between cold pathways and pain pathways to gate chronic pain.

• Relate the effects of interoceptive dysfunction to the development of chronic pain.
• Draw the pathways specific to Lamina I versus Lamina V sensory pathways.
• Discuss how the interoceptive nervous system may relate to Functional Neurologic Symptom Disorder.
• Apply knowledge of how interoceptive dysfunction may negatively affect higher cortical functions.
• Design and utilize strategies that normalize interoception to improve intractable patient symptoms.

• This contains all courses with the educational objectives listed from Pain 116 through Pain 121

• Relate the different neurophysiologic mechanisms to the development of chronic pain states. 
• Draw the pathways specific to Lamina I versus Lamina V sensory pathways.
• Discuss basic science research that supports the main theories of chronic/central pain syndromes.  
• Apply basic neurorehabilitation techniques to modulate chronic pain circuits.
• Develop treatment plans for chronic pin patients consistent with current pain models.

• Explore chiropractic patients’ perceptions of discomfort, pain, and stiffness to determine if and how they differentiate among the concepts 
• Describe the relationship between the presence of an audible pop during spinal manipulative therapy and pain outcomes
• Evaluate the effect of spinal manipulation on pressure pain thresholds in a real-world clinical setting 
• Assess whether a 10-second one legged stance test can independently predict survival in middle and older aged men and women 
• Illustrate the relationship between physical activity levels and pain

Hour 1

• Define interventional pain management and how it can be applied to help solve acute and chronic pain.
• Outline and critique different pain theories.
• Outline the Biopsychosocial model of chronic pain and explain why this model is the most comprehensive for acute and chronic pain management.
• Summarize how to integrate interventional pain management with conservative care for acute and chronic pain.

Hour 2:

• Describe common interventional pain management procedures and how to integrate them into a comprehensive plan of care.
• List the most utilized injections and when they are considered.
• Identify when a spinal cord stimulator may be considered and how it can aid conservative management.
• Explain the use of endoscopic procedures and when they may be utilized to treat acute and chronic pain.

• Outline a recent clinical guideline on the chiropractic management of chronic musculoskeletal pain 
• Identify a common set of recommendations from high-quality clinical guidelines that can be applied to a wide range of musculoskeletal pain conditions 
• Explore which target concepts are important to patients who improved following a pain science education intervention for persistent pain 
• Investigate whether untrained trait mindfulness is associated with differential responses to pain stimuli and whether these intrinsic differences reflect differential patterns of resting-state functional connectivity in the brain 
• Characterize the pain-based mechanisms of thoracic spinal manipulation and advance the preliminary validation of brain-based models as potential clinical biomarkers of pain

• Expand your application of the biopsychosocial model of chronic pain by exploring an enactive approach to pain
• Recognize the clinical complexities involved in identifying malingering in chronic pain patients
• Outline relevant factors pertaining to clinical presentation, pathophysiology and treatment of chronic neuropathic pain
• Investigate the hypoalgesic effect of thoracic spinal manipulation on pain induced by temporal summation
• Explore the potential brain mechanisms involved in pain relief achieved via Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) application

• Evaluate the relationships among thoracic spinal stiffness, pain and muscle activity in healthy subjects and those with chronic thoracic pain
• Summarize updated chronic pain classification updates from the ICD-11
• Compare and contrast the clinical presentation and pathophysiology of Fibromyalgia (FM) and Myofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS)
• Summarize a clinical framework to sub-categorize pain patients based on an individual’s dominant pain etiology 
• Examine the effect of neural tissue management on pain and disability in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain

• Gain insight into the different types of pain
• Differentiate different sources of spinal pain
• Summarize the societal and clinical challenges of the pain patient
• Describe the difference between acute and chronic pain
• Provide an initial appreciation of alternative treatment options
• Understand the importance of chiropractic principles with the pain patient

• Evaluate the test-retest, intra- and inter-examiner reliability of the body pain diagram for determining pain distribution and location for musculoskeletal conditions
• Summarize the current state of knowledge on neuropathic pain, with focus on how it differs from nociception
• Review of the current literature regarding the epidemiology, diagnosis and management of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
• Explore central nervous system neuroplastic adaptations that may contribute to the pathophysiology of chronic conditions
• Differentiate symptoms and signs of central sensitization, peripheral neuropathic pain and nociceptive pain in patients with low back pain (with or without leg pain)

• Explain the concept of central sensitization and appreciate its relevance in clinical practice
• Summarize the mechanisms of neural plasticity pertaining to pain perception in the central nervous system
• Outline how proper training can positively influence neural plasticity in the motor cortex in low back pain patients
• Highlight key components of motor-skill training that provide the greatest potential in rehabilitation
• Describe the state of the literature on our knowledge about Myofascial Pain Syndrome

• Summarize the assessment and diagnosis of pain
• List and describe 5 common causes of back pain and how to prevent injury
• Outline the causes of fibromyalgia
• Illustrate the mechanisms of inflammation and pain
• Discuss the pain of peripheral neuropathy

• Outline the nature of and hallmarks of cancer
• Summarize the relationship between physical activity and cancer
• Summarize the relationship between nutrition and cancer
• Summarize the relationship between massage therapy and cancer
• Summarize the relationship between acupuncture and cancer
• Summarize the relationship between manual therapy and cancer